It’s the time of year when thousands of students will make an exit out of the limestone city. Officials say one of the issues for several years has been the leftover debris and furniture that people tend to leave out on the sidewalk. However, this year, Dan Hazell with the city of Kingston says they have seen a huge difference in cleanliness.
“So far this particular year there has been a vast improvement. Staff are reporting back to me that they are seeing not as many violations as the previous year.”
It isn’t unusual to see a sectional sofa on one corner and a mattress with a matching boxspring on another, but officials say for the most part people have been keeping the city streets clear.
Bylaw enforcement officers are working non-stop to make sure people are following the rules.
“I know our staff right now is constantly busy, we’re working pro-actively in terms of the city and private,” bylaw enforcement officer Kyle Compeau said.
The city of Kingston has programs like give-away day allowing students and residents to leave things they don’t want on the sidewalk for one day. It’s all part of a city-wide plan to help reduce city waste. Queens University students Cassandra Busuttil and Brittany Morrison say with a variety of options available for disposal, they try not to leave anything out.
“We don’t put our junk on the corner, because we really value the Johnson and Aberdeen area. We donate a lot of stuff to Goodwill and to Value Village,” they said.
“It’s just kind of like you might as well take the extra step, otherwise it’s going to be junk on the side of the road.”